OPPOSE Dangerous Gun De-Regulations in Missouri

I urge you to oppose the bills currently in the Missouri Legislature that loosen gun laws in ways that are dangerous and highly irresponsible. These bills include SB1117 (Coleman), the "public safety" bill that allows use of deadly force against those unlawfully entering a place of employment, retail establishment, or business and presumes that all defendant's belief that they are using deadly force for self-defense is reasonable. It provides immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for using force in self-defense and allows the defendant to claim self-defense during pre-trial hearings, shifting the burden to the opposing party. Other dangerous gun laws proposed by the Legislature include HB2291 (Davidson), which exempt firearms and ammunition from state and local sales tax; SB1117 (Coleman), SB1166 (Schroer), and HB1708 (Schnelting), which allow for concealed carry of guns on public transportation; HB1611 (Van Schoiack), which removes federal government involvement in concealed carry background checks; HB2693 (Lovasco), which stipulates that firearms confiscated by authorities must be offered for sale to the public and cannot be destroyed; and SB998 (Hoskins), SB1004 (Eigel), HB1651 (Christensen), which are so-called "anti-red flag gun seizure acts" that prohibits judicial orders that confiscate guns or ammunition from people who are deemed a danger to themselves or others. HB1708 (Schnelting) and HB1848 (Baker) also allow concealed carry in churches and places of worship, while HB1708 takes it a step further and also lowers the concealed carry age to 18 and exempts ALL past and current members of the Missouri Legislature from unlawful weapon offenses Gun violence is an ever-increasing threat to our society. We are facing an epidemic of mass shootings, violent crime, domestic abuse, and even suicide that are fueled by guns. Irresponsible gun laws like these do not address any of these issues. Instead, they make them worse. Our Constitution may protect our right to bear arms, but it also calls for regulation. Nothing about these dangerous bills is well-regulated. I urge you to oppose all of these bills.